Romans 8:28

Good morning, church.

In September 1541, after having been expelled from the city three years earlier, John Calvin

was asked to return to Geneva.

And on that first Sunday, back in the pulpit of St. Peter's, what do you think John Calvin

did amidst this city that had sent him away and now begged for him to come back to fix

all their problems?

It would have been a great opportunity for Calvin to score some points, wouldn't it have been?

You foolish Genevans, how dare you send me away and now grovel at my feet?

That's exactly what Calvin didn't do.

Instead, he picked up his public preaching ministry exactly where he had left off three

years earlier.

He had been preaching through the Psalms, and when he got back in the pulpit, he picked up

right in the next verse as if nothing had ever happened.

As if to show that he saw that there was nothing more important than his task of feeding God's

people from God's Word.

Today, as we've been saying, is the Sunday when churches all around the world are celebrating

the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

And among many things, the Reformation was a recovery of the Word of God.

So, in honor of the Reformation, we're going to follow John Calvin's lead this morning,

and we're just going to pick up with the next verse that we've been preaching through.

We're in Romans 8, and we're going to trust that God's Word is going to do His work.

Today, we come to Romans chapter 8, verse 28.

Romans 8:28

That's page 944 in the Pew Bible.

Romans 8, verse 28, page 944.

Romans 8:28

And I'm going to read this verse in its broader context, starting actually in verse 16 and

ending in verse 30, so we can really catch the scope of what Paul is saying here.

So, Romans 8, let's start in verse 16.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children,

then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in

order that we may also be glorified with Him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the

glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected

it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and

obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until

now.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan

inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved.

The hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes for what he sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with

groanings too deep for words.

And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes

for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.

For those who are called according to His purpose.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in

order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom He predestined, He also called.

And those whom He called, He also justified.

And those whom He justified, He also glorified.

Let's pray together.

Father, we ask that You would give us, by Your Holy Spirit, hearts, ears, eyes, to see and

hear and to know what You are speaking to us through Your Word.

Amen.

Oh God, we pray that Your purposes would be accomplished in our time together this morning.

For Christ's sake, amen.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who

are called according to His purpose.

We've been seeing in the previous weeks that this whole section of Romans 8 that we just

read is meant to give us courage and confidence in the face of suffering.

Looking over this passage, we can see that Paul has shown us our future hope in verses

18 through 24.

The creation set free from its bondage to decay and made new.

Our own bodies set free from groaning in the resurrection.

And then last week, we saw that the groaning of creation and the groaning of our bodies is known

even to God as the Holy Spirit groans within us as He right now intercedes for us.

But here in verse 28, Paul moves from this inward work of the Holy Spirit within us outward

to the work of God right now in all things around us.

And we know, Paul says in verse 28, which is what he also said back in verse 22.

Did you catch that as we read it?

Verse 22 says,

For we know that the whole creation is groaning in the pains of childbirth.

We know creation is groaning and we are groaning within it.

But here in verse 28, we know something in addition to that, Paul says.

We know not just that creation is groaning, but that for those who love God, who are called

according to His purpose, we know all things work together for good.

Friends, here is a promise that for countless generations, the church has clung to and found

to be true.

And here is a promise that if you and I can grasp it and internalize it and cling to it,

it will be a comfort and a security and a foundation that will give us the greatest courage and confidence

through the darkest moments, through the deepest groanings.

How merciful is God to give us His Word, knowing that we need confidence and we need comfort.

And here this promise is given to us to do just that.

So to help us grasp, to help us internalize this promise this morning, what I want to do is unpack this promise

in sort of three steps.

So I want to take three angles on this promise in verse 28, and then we're going to conclude

by considering who this promise is for.

So first then, let's look at this promise.

What is it that we know here in verse 28?

What do we know that will give us such a security, such a ballast for life in this groaning creation?

First thing is that this promise says that it is God who works all things together for good.

We can know that God is at work no matter what circumstances we face.

Now, if you look again at the verse, you'll see that it literally says all things work together for good.

So you might think I'm sort of twisting Scripture right now by telling you that it's God who works all things.

But what does Paul actually mean here?

Does he mean that the events of your life just somehow in and of themselves magically happen to work together for good?

That the universe is conspiring for your happiness?

No.

It's quite clear for Paul, as for the rest of the Bible, that God is the one who is the real subject here.

In fact, if you look at the footnote in the ESV, or if you have the NIV, if you're reading that,

you'll see that some manuscripts and some translators have made what's implicit explicit.

It's God who is at work.

All things work together for good because God works them that way.

You see, there is a very personal, purposeful, passionate God at work in all things.

And contrary to popular spirituality, when you want something,

all the universe is not conspiring in helping you to achieve it.

No, what do we know?

We know that the creation is groaning.

It's eagerly longing to be set free from its bondage to corruption.

But in the midst of that groaning, God is at work.

He is not some far-off watchmaker who set the wheels of the universe spinning like some great machine

and now just watches it from a distance, uninvolved, detached.

No, what this verse is telling us is that God is intimately, actively, continuously at work.

One of the most enduring statements of faith to come out of the Reformation was the Heidelberg Catechism

written in 1563.

And this is how it speaks of this reality, this reality of God's providence.

Verse 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism says this,

what do you understand by the providence of God?

You have to love catechisms.

They ask these just simple questions, you know,

well, what's the providence of God?

Go, answer.

Well, thankfully, it gives us the answer because it's a catechism.

What do you understand by the providence of God?

And the answer is this.

It's the almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with His hand,

heaven and earth and all creatures.

And so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years,

food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty,

all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by His fatherly hand.

For my money, that's one of the most beautiful definitions of God's providence I've ever read.

Not by chance but by His fatherly hand.

You know, we may not ever know why, exactly, in the moment,

God allows certain things to happen in our lives.

Why this chronic sickness?

Why this hardship in my marriage?

Why this particular dream I've had has been shattered?

And the temptation is to think in those moments that God has abandoned you,

that it's all meaningless, that there's no purpose and there's no plan.

But our verse this morning stands as a bulwark against that particular form of unbelief,

saying that even though we may not know exactly why some things happen,

we can know that God is still at work,

that His fatherly hand is not tied behind His back,

that God is still the Almighty Creator and Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth,

that God has a purpose for our good,

even when we can't see it.

This is the first thing we know,

according to this promise, that God is at work.

Second, we know that God works all things together for our good.

Now stop for a moment and let that sink in.

All things.

In the 17th century, an English pastor named Thomas Watson

wrote an entire book on Romans 8.28,

the way only 17th century Puritans can do.

And he called that book a divine cordial.

Now it's usually published under the title,

All Things for Good.

And the first chapter in Watson's book is titled,

The Best Things Work for Good to the Godly.

Friends, have you considered for starters

that all things means all the good things in your life?

We often just take those things for granted.

Or we give ourselves the credit.

Or we just assume that that's how the world is supposed to work.

That's actually not the case.

Yes, this world was created very good.

But when sin entered the world,

creation was subjected to futility,

as verse 20 reminds us.

We Christians should not expect

that the world is going to be a nice, comfortable place.

So when events or circumstances happen to fall out beneficially for us,

even something as mundane as getting a regular paycheck

or having a church family to be a part of,

we must remember

that these are gifts of God's grace,

that God is at work to bring about these things.

These are not things we should take for granted

or give ourselves the credit for.

Instead, we should be responding with gratitude and joy to God.

But of course, all things includes not just the good circumstances,

but the bad as well.

Now, right up front, we have to be careful here.

You'll notice that Paul is not saying

that at the end of the day,

all things are good.

That's not what he's saying.

No, no.

Evil is still evil.

Injustice is still injustice.

Suffering is still suffering.

Sin is still sin.

All things are definitely in and of themselves not good.

But God in His infinite wisdom, power, and grace

works all things for good.

So we're not meant to take some weird pleasure in suffering

as if it's a good thing in and of itself.

We are meant to weep with those who weep

as well as rejoice with those who rejoice.

We're not supposed to run to suffering headlong

as if it's not really suffering,

and nor should we minimize the suffering of others,

perhaps by quoting this verse to them.

However, what this promise enables us to do

is to have courage and confidence

in the face of suffering when it comes.

We don't have to despair,

thinking that all is lost.

And we don't have to try to avoid suffering at all costs.

Rather, we can stand firm,

knowing that no matter what comes,

it can't ultimately thwart God's good purposes for me.

And in fact, this verse is saying something

even stronger than that, isn't it?

It's saying not just that suffering and hardship

can't thwart God's good purposes for me,

but that God will work even in my suffering

for my good.

He will take it up into His fatherly hands

and bring about my ultimate good.

The great Old Testament example of this

is Joseph in Genesis chapter 50.

Genesis 50 · chapter mention

If you remember that story,

you remember that his brothers sold him into slavery

out of jealousy and hatred,

leaving him functionally for dead.

And yet years later,

Joseph being reunited to his brothers

can say,

you meant evil against me,

but God meant it for good,

to bring it about that many people

should be kept alive as they are today.

Because Joseph ended up in Egypt

through his brother's cruelty,

he was able to rise to a position of authority

in the Egyptian empire

and preserve his family along with many others

from a devastating international famine.

And in preserving his family,

he preserves the promise of Abraham

that one day God would send a Savior for us all.

His brothers intended it for evil,

God meant it for good.

God works all things together for good,

the good and the bad events in our life.

That's the second thing we know according to this promise.

The third thing is this,

that God works all things together

for our good.

God isn't just at work in all things,

He's at work for our good.

But here we need to stop and ask,

what exactly do we mean by good?

Because we are very prone to define what's good

in very short-sighted ways.

Physical health,

financial well-being,

maybe relational fulfillment.

But how does God define what's good?

What is the ultimate and lasting good

to which He's taking us?

Well, verses 29 through 30 answer that question.

Did you catch it?

And at the center of those verses

is this,

conformity to the image of His Son.

The good that God will bend

heaven and earth to achieve,

the good towards which God

is providentially working

every good and bad thing in your life,

the good that expresses

His eternal purpose for you,

expressed and unfolded and revealed

in time and history is this,

that you would be conformed

to the image of His Son.

Now, if we put this in the context

of all of Romans,

this is what we see.

What does Romans teach us?

We read it earlier in Romans 3.

The good news is that through faith alone

you have been justified.

You've been given Jesus' righteous record

as a gift through the redemption

and propitiation of His blood.

Apart from your works,

through faith you share His legal status.

You are an adopted child of God,

an heir of God,

freely and wholly.

And now we see,

here in Romans 8,

that God is at work

in all things

to actually make you

and conform you

and shape and mold

and transform you

from the inside out

into the likeness of Jesus.

His purpose is at work

to make you what you are.

Do you see what that means?

Have you considered

that Jesus Christ,

while at the same time

being fully God,

is the most fully,

truly human being

who ever lived?

If you and I were to go out

this afternoon

and find a basketball court

in New Haven,

there probably will be

no one playing on it

because it's raining outside,

but let's pretend

it wasn't raining

and it wasn't cold.

And if we ask

some of those young players

who they wish they could be,

who do you think

they would say?

Steph Curry,

Kevin Durant,

LeBron James.

I mean,

imagine being able to play

like one of those guys.

LeBron James has like a 61%

field goal percentage

this season.

Imagine being able to make

six out of every ten

shots that you make.

They go in

every time.

Boom,

boom,

boom.

That's one mess.

Boom,

boom,

boom,

boom,

boom.

61% of the time.

I mean,

you might be good,

but you're not that good.

Imagine the freedom

and joy

of being that good.

Imagine how much fun

it must be

to play basketball

when you're LeBron James

or Steph Curry,

even if you get mad

and throw your mouth guard

at a ref every once in a while.

Now,

maybe basketball

isn't your thing,

but my bet is

you know what it's like

to long to be someone

you admire.

that musician

who performs

so effortlessly,

that work colleague

who always tops

last quarter's

performance marks,

that friend

who just seems

to have it all together

in all the ways

you don't.

But friends,

here in the gospel,

we see one

who doesn't just

excel in the court

or in the concert hall

or in the performance

review,

here is the one

who is not just

the true artist

or the true athlete.

Here is one

who is the true human

who lives life

at its best

always

and in every way.

Here is what you and I

were always meant to be

and what all our other

longings to be like

all those other people

are just the shadow of.

All those other longings

are just the shadow

of our deep heart longing

to be fully,

truly human,

to be like Him,

to know real freedom,

to know real joy.

So friends,

here is the promise

of verse 28,

that God is working

all things together

to make you like His Son,

to make you at long

last truly,

fully human,

to make you noble

and wise

and loving

and good

and strong

and joyful

and resilient

and kind,

to make you

into a fitting

and proper

heir

of the new creation

that God has in store

where we will reign

with Christ forever.

So you see,

God working all things

together for our good

doesn't mean that

we'll always see

some sort of reversal

of our bad circumstances

into good circumstances

in this life.

Rather,

many things that we suffer

will not contribute

to our material

or our physical good.

But all these things

will work

for our ultimate good.

They will refine

our faith.

They will strengthen

our hope.

They will forge

our likeness

to Jesus.

God isn't promising

that believers

are going to have

more comfortable lives

or experience

less bad events

than non-believers.

But this verse

is teaching us

that God will bring about

through those events

an even greater purpose

and outcome

that we will be like

the King.

We will be like

the one who is

most perfectly,

joyfully,

freely human.

That will be more

and more like Jesus.

So I wonder,

friend,

how do you define

the good in your life?

Do you define it

by the number

of close friends

that you have,

the number

of healthy children

that you have,

the financial security

that you've amassed,

the physical health

that you enjoy?

Or do you define

the good

as radiating

the character

of Christ

in all circumstances?

And don't you see

that that

is where your

real happiness is?

Jonathan Edwards

in one of the first

theological paragraphs

he ever penned

said that holiness,

Christ-likeness,

is like being a flower

in a field

with your petals

open to the sun,

releasing an aroma

and a fragrance

of joy

and sweetness,

of basking

in the pleasure

of being beautiful

in God's creation.

Don't you see

that that

is real lasting joy

that will stretch

into eternity?

And if you see that,

then don't you realize

that Romans 8.28

is God's promise

that He has our ultimate,

eternal happiness

in mind.

And that He

is using all things

to get us there,

to make us

like His Son

so that the glory

of the Son

can be displayed

like the firstborn

among many brothers

and sisters.

So this is what we know,

that God works

all things together

for good.

But now with the time

that we have left,

we have to ask the question,

who is this promise for?

Is this promise true

for everyone?

And if not,

how do we get in on it?

Because it sounds

pretty good.

Well, we see that

Romans 8.28

is not talking about

some superficial optimism

that everything tends

to everybody's good

in the end.

No, this promise

has a very definite scope.

It's for a particular people,

and the objects

of this promise,

the recipients,

the ones for whom

it is true,

are described here

in two ways.

And both of these ways

are ways of describing

genuine Christians,

but they each bring out

something very important.

What's the first thing

that we see in verse 28?

That this promise

is for those

who love God.

Now, as Paul has been saying

over and over again

in chapter 8,

a genuine Christian

is someone

in whom

the Holy Spirit dwells.

That's what he's just

been talking about

in verses 26 and 27.

And if you go all the way back

to Romans chapter 5,

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Paul says that the Holy Spirit

is the one who comes

and pours the love of God

into our hearts.

And here in chapter 8,

verse 15,

it's the Holy Spirit

who causes us to cry,

Abba, Father,

in familial love to God.

And again,

right here in the immediate context,

verses 26 and 27,

it's the Holy Spirit

who intercedes for us

with God,

causing us to come to God

in faith and hope and love,

even when we don't have

the right words

to know how to pray.

And you see this

across Paul's writings.

In Galatians,

the very first expression

of the fruit of the Spirit

is love.

So love to God

is the distinguishing mark

of the Christian.

All who place their trust

in Christ

are filled with the Holy Spirit,

and because of the Holy Spirit,

we can at last

truly love God.

But why does Paul

choose this way

of describing

a Christian here?

Why not say

that God works all things

for those who trust in God

or for those

who hope in God?

Why specify

the love of God here?

Well, think about it this way.

Without the genuine love

for God

that comes from

the Holy Spirit,

it's hard to see

how all things

could work together

for our good.

How could that be?

One writer made

this observation.

He said,

outside of God,

we have the illusion

that we are self-made people

who are in control

of our lives.

When an unbelieving heart

experiences a string

of successes

and pleasures,

it only reinforces

that illusion

that we are in control,

that we've made ourselves.

And so it is

that even good things

can make the worst sins

in the human heart

grow

and take over

pride,

overconfidence,

self-righteousness.

In other words,

without real love for God,

even good circumstances

will produce terrible

spiritual fruit

in our lives.

not to mention

bad circumstances,

suffering,

which apart from

the love for God

can produce bitterness

and despair

and a victim mentality.

But if there is

genuine love for God

in our hearts,

then when good

circumstances come,

they won't reinforce

our pride

because we know

that all our good

comes as a gracious

gift of our loving God.

And when bad

circumstances come,

it will humble us

and increase

our dependency on God

and to long and hope

more fully

for His coming redemption.

So love for God

is a critical piece

in God working

all things for our good.

It's the right disposition

on our part

created by the Holy Spirit

for God to go about

this work in our hearts.

But that just presses

the question,

doesn't it?

Where does this love

come from?

You see,

Paul is not talking

about a love for God

that we whip up

in our own strength.

If that were true,

we'd all be goners

because, friends,

we know that even Christians

don't love God

as we should.

Nor is Paul saying

that the amount of good

that God promises

to work in our lives

depends on how much

we love God

from day to day.

It's not as if

you wake up in the morning

and you're only hitting

like a 4.5 out of 10

on the love for God scale,

so then God's probably

only going to work

some things together

for your good,

sort of.

It's not how it works.

When Paul says

those who love God,

he's talking about

a fundamental change

that has happened

when someone

becomes a Christian.

In Romans 5,

Paul says that we've gone

from enmity with God

to love for God,

but how does that happen?

The second phrase

in Romans 8.28

puts it this way,

we've been called

according to His purpose.

Christians are those

who love God

because God has loved us first

and because they've been called

according to His purpose.

Now, when Paul uses

the word call here,

he means something

much more

than just the general invitation

or call of the gospel

as in what I'm doing right now.

What I'm doing right now

is the general call

of the gospel.

I am telling you

that there is a God

who is holy

and just

and good

and who has made

each and every one of us

in His own image

to glorify Him

and love Him

and enjoy Him.

but because we have

rebelled against Him

and decided to find

our glory

and our enjoyment

in anything else but Him,

we stand under that

holy and good

God's just

wrath

for our sin.

But here, friends,

is the good news

that instead of judging us

for our sin,

God sends His own

Son

in love

to live a perfectly

sinless life

on our behalf

and to go

to the cross

to die

as a substitute

for us

in our place

bearing the wrath

that our sins deserve.

And on the third day,

Jesus rises

from the grave

demonstrating

that the penalty

that He paid

paid the price

in full

and that there's

nothing left

for you and I

that we owe.

There's nothing left

that we need to come up with

in order to win

God's favor.

All that we need to do

is turn

from our self-dependence

and depend on Christ alone.

Friends,

that is the gospel.

That is what Paul says

is the righteousness

from God

that is ripping history apart

and creating

a new people.

It's His power

for those who believe.

And this gospel

goes out to everyone

everywhere

with the call

to repent

and believe.

But friends,

that call

of the gospel,

that's not what Paul's

talking about here

in Romans 8, 28.

He's talking about

something

that God does,

not that we do.

The call of God

that Paul is talking about here

is what happens

when God takes

this message

of the gospel

and by the Spirit

works powerfully

in the hearts

of the listeners

to produce faith.

faith.

It's when the words

become real

to your heart

and your heart

is stirred up

to believe.

When suddenly

it's as if God Himself

is speaking to you

saying,

come to me

all you who labor

and are heavy laden

and I will give you rest.

It's as if the risen Christ

right now

is saying through my words,

turn

and come

and believe

the good news.

and you can't help

but respond.

Friends,

perhaps even now

God is causing you

to hear the message

of His Son

in that way.

You're starting

to see something

you've never seen before.

As you consider

Christ crucified

for your sins,

risen for your justification,

perhaps now you see

for the first time

what that is all

meant to demonstrate,

which is the love

of God for you.

That God shows

His love for us

and that while

we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

And if you see

the love of God

for you in Christ,

then put your trust

in Christ.

Later in Romans,

Paul will say this,

if you confess

with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart

that God raised Him

from the dead,

you will be saved.

For with the heart

one believes

and is justified

and with the mouth

one confesses and saves.

For the Scripture says

everyone who believes

in Him

will not be put to shame.

And friends,

if that's true of you

this morning,

if you've experienced

that effectual call

of God,

if you've turned

from trusting in yourself

to trusting in Jesus Christ

as Lord,

then the promise

of this verse

stands for you

and for all

who will believe

that all things

work together

for good.

After all,

how could they not?

Can God's purpose

be thwarted?

He has called us

according to His own purpose.

Can the purpose

of God

be stopped,

friends?

My purposes

are stopped

all the time,

especially because

I have three little children.

They never let my purposes

be enthwarted.

But thankfully, friends,

you and I

are not God.

The Almighty Maker

of heaven and earth,

His purpose

cannot be stopped.

His purpose

is to conform us

to the image

of His Son

so that Jesus

might be the firstborn

among many brothers

and sisters

so that Jesus

might be magnified

and known to be great

and seen

as glorious

in the midst

of a people

who are shaped

to look like Him.

And if this

is God's purpose,

how

will not

all things

work together

for this end?

The reason

we don't believe

this verse

is because

we don't believe

that God

is God.

How could

the great author

of all things

not bring

his story

to the conclusion

he has written?

It's like thinking

that Jane Austen

couldn't eventually

get Lizzie Bennet

and Darcy

together in the end.

How silly.

How silly.

And how

will he not

arrange all things,

every detail

to that end?

Again,

Jonathan Edwards

put it this way

as a young man.

He said,

every atom

in the universe

is managed

by Christ

so as to be

most to the

advantage

of a Christian.

Every particle

of air

or every ray

of the sun

so that when

the Christian

comes to see

it in glory

he shall sit

and enjoy

all this vast

inheritance

with surprising,

amazing joy.

All things

work together

for good

for those

who are called

according to

his purpose.

How could

it not be so?

The king

of the universe

has died

and risen again

for you.

He has gone

into the groaning

and swallowed

it whole

in the resurrection

to make you

his own.

How will he not

then take all

things and turn

them to your good

so that you will

be like him

and enjoy him

forever?

Every atom

light

hearsay

and

turn

the

utes

then

up

in the

sea

and

use

enemies

into slut

of заним

hand

and

prevent

the

easy

power

and

lie

ways

to

point

so that

can

hurt

and

extend

spring

so

so

so

so

so

so

so

so

so

so

so

so